◎ Pushing for Marriage ◎ 

With the return of the eldest sister and her family, the Liang household became lively again. Liang Baoling took Mengmeng to play in the village. 

After the two laborers, Liang Baoying and Song Jianguo, returned, Liang Baozhen and Liang Baojun went to town again. This time, Liang Baojun carried ninety pounds of iron thorns that he had dug up. 

Hao Ming from the winery’s purchasing office looked at the bulging bag with satisfaction, “Let’s take it directly to the winery. There are too many people here.” 

Everyone had come to exchange goods, and the bag in Liang Baojun’s hands was indeed heavy. Soon enough, three or four people were glancing over, trying to figure out what it was. 

“Alright, let’s go straight there.” 

These ninety pounds of iron thorns can produce thirty to forty pounds of liquor. Although it cannot solve all the problems, it can at least put out a small fire. Hao Ming took out a few from the bag and saw that they looked very fresh. 

“There’s no problem, this batch is good.” Hao Ming clapped his hands and brushed off the dirt and dust. 

“We just dug them up, so they’re still fresh.” 

Hao Ming gave the Liang siblings a thermos, an aluminum basin, and a bag of brown sugar. These items were all new and came from the factory’s warehouse, where they were usually given as employee rewards. 

The iron thorns from the mountain had been exchanged for many items, putting Liang Baojun in a good mood and making him consider on getting more to trade. However, Liang Baozhen was a bit concerned. “Don’t do that,” she warned. “If we exchange too much now, we might attract unwanted attention. It could be problematic if we’re accused of speculation.”

Exchanging a few small things for personal use wasn’t an issue but doing it repeatedly with large quantities was indeed unsafe. 

“We’ll see in the future,” Liang Baojun said, knowing there wasn’t much he could do. After all, there might not be so many iron thorns on the mountain. 

Carrying their bags, they returned home just in time for lunch. Eight people were sitting at the Liang family’s square table, and the meal was lively. Liang Baozhen took a bite of a sweet potato and noticed that her brother-in-law seemed distracted. 

Meanwhile, her elder sister was putting pickled cabbage strips into his bowl, but he didn’t react. 

“What are you standing there for? Come and eat.” Liang Baoying nudged the man’s arm with her elbow, and Song Jianguo came back to his senses. 

“Yeah, I’m eating.” 

Liang Zhigao glanced at his son-in-law. When he went to work today, he noticed something was off. Song Jianguo was obviously not focused on his work. He didn’t know what was on his mind. Recently, there was some unrest in the educated youth everywhere. They all wanted to go back to the city, and some even made themselves sick in the hope of finding an opportunity. 

After dinner, he called his son-in-law alone, and the two talked in the main room. 

“Jianguo, what’s wrong with you these days? What did your parents say when you visited them a while ago?” Liang Zhigao took a puff of dry tobacco after the meal. It has been his habit for decades. 

Song Jianguo remained silent, recalling how he had been overwhelmed by the harsh conditions when he first came to the countryside eight years ago. It was even more difficult back then, and there wasn’t a single educated youth who didn’t dream of returning to the city. Gradually, some people could not stand it anymore and married locals, and their lives became a little better. 

He still held on, but seeing batch after batch of educated youth going to the countryside, he always felt that there was no hope and that he could never go back and would have to stay in the countryside for the rest of his life. 

He knew Liang Baoying had always liked him. The shy look in her eyes when they worked together was clear. He pursued her, they got married soon after, and Mengmeng was born the next year. 

He had already prepared himself mentally to stay here for the rest of his life, but the news that the educated youth might be able to return to the city caught Song Jianguo off guard. 

He just needs to find a job, and then he can go back to the city he has dreamed about day and night. He could work in a factory as a decent worker, without having to work in the fields for a living. 

However, the news he heard this morning troubled him greatly. The educated youth with connections in Beijing had said that those who had married locals wouldn’t be allowed to return to the city. 

“Father, it’s nothing really. It’s just that I haven’t seen my parents for so many years, and I’m feeling a bit down,” Song Jianguo said and did not reveal the truth to the Liang family. 

Liang Zhigao naturally understood that it wasn’t easy for a young man to go to the countryside alone for eight years and finally have the chance to see his family. He took a puff of his dry tobacco, patted his son-in-law’s shoulder, and walked out of the hall. “Apply to come back and see them again when conditions improve.” 

In the yard, his daughter Baoying was sweeping the floor. Liang Zhigao reminded her, “There are medicinal herbs in the house. Cook some for Jianguo to help him regain his strength.” 

“I know, Father. Jianguo has not had a good appetite recently. I am just going to the mountain to dig some stone coriander later.” 

Hearing the faint voices from the yard, Song Jianguo touched his forehead; his expression was still uncertain. 

***

After a busy day, and after dinner, Liang Baozhen finally had time to take the steel hairpins and silk flowers she had bought and head out. “Mother, I’m going to Xiujian’s house.” 

“Okay.” 

Li Xiujuan and Liang Baozhen are the same age. Their families lived close to each other, and they went to the same school, so they were naturally close. A month ago, Li Xiujuan also got engaged, and she plans to marry someone from the same village. 

The villagers even joked that Li Xiujuan’s parents’ home and her husband’s home were just across a field and could be reached in a few steps. 

“Aunt Fulai, is Xiujuan at home now? I’m just about to go see her.” Liang Baozhen was halfway there when she saw Li Xiujuan’s mother, Aunt Fulai, talking to someone on the side of the road. 

“Yes, her sister-in-law made clothes for her. You can go and take a look.” 

Li Xiujuan’s family later built a house on a hillside in the village and built a yard of their own. The area was quite spacious. As soon as they entered the Li family’s yard, Li Xiujuan’s mother shouted into the house, “Xiujuan, Baozhen is here to see you.” 

The two hadn’t seen each other for a while, and Li Xiujuan was especially happy to see her good friend since she was busy preparing for her wedding. 

On the bed inside the room was a set of red clothes and pants, made of plain coarse cloth, which the Li family had managed to get after a month of effort. 

“Your sister-in-law is really skilled. This dress is beautifully tailored,” Liang Baozhen praised, admiring the fine stitching of the dress. 

“Let me put them on and show them to you.” Li Xiujuan changed her clothes quickly and turned around a few times in front of her friend. As she listened to her friend’s praises, the smile on her face became even brighter. 

“Quickly take it off; don’t get it dirty. Wear it on your wedding day.” Liang Baozhen, seeing how good it looked on her, took out the gift she had prepared. “I saw this in town today and thought it would suit you.” 

A red silk flower was pinned on her head with a wire hairpin, and paired with a red dress, she looked particularly festive, and it complements her fair skin and beautiful face. 

“Thank you, Baozhen! I like this so much!” There are a lot of people in the Li family, and there is not enough food. The living conditions are also poor, so Li Xiujuan rarely has these beautiful little things. 

The two of them sat on the bed and talked. Li Xiujuan was about to get married, and her heart was beating like a deer. She talked nonstop, and all she talked about was Brother Erniu. 

“You’re not married yet, and you’re already calling him so affectionately?” 

Li Xiujuan’s partner, Erniu, also known as Niu Hezhi, is from the same village. They knew each other before and later got engaged with the help of a matchmaker. 

“I used to call him that.” Li Xiujuan smiled shyly and took Liang Baozhen’s arm. “Then how do you call your partner?” 

Liang Baozhen was stunned for a moment before she realized, “I just call him Comrade Chen.” 

“You’re all going to get married; why are you still so polite?” 

“We’ve only met twice and probably only said two or three sentences. How can I be rude?” Liang Baozhen thought about it. Her impression of her soon to be husband Chen Siming was just that he was polite and looked decent, nothing more. 

“I understand, he’s the director, right? When I saw your fiancé last time, he looked really different. He was even more impressive than our commune cadres. His back was so straight when he walked.” Thinking of what the villagers were talking about, Li Xiujuan asked hurriedly, “Will you be able to work in their state cotton factory in the future? That would be great. Last time, your uncle didn’t let you become a middle school teacher, but now you have a more impressive job in the city.” 

Liang Baozhen graduated from high school last year. The commune initially planned to offer her a middle school teacher position. However, her cousin, who was a cadre in the commune, jumped out to stop it and instead gave the position to a high school student from the neighboring village.

After a while, someone secretly told the Liang family that they saw the high school student go to Liang Zhiqing’s house to deliver things, and everyone suddenly realized what was going on. No wonder even his brothers didn’t help. 

Because of this, Song Chunhua no longer wanted to have anything to do with her elder brother’s family. 

“It’s not that easy. Let’s talk about it later.” Liang Baozhen looked at her friend who was getting ready to get married with excitement, but she felt a little nervous. It is said that if you marry a man, you will have clothes to wear and food to eat, but she didn’t know what her life would be like in the future. 

They chatted so much that they lost track of time. When Liang Baozhen came out of Li’s house, the moon was already bright. The village was quiet, and many people had fallen asleep. The only sounds she could hear were the chirping of insects and birds. 

It was already dark, and Liang Baozhen didn’t want to trouble the Li family to send her home, so she walked on the road, looked up at the moon, and walked on the stone path under her feet. 

Not long after, she saw a tall figure ahead, with hands in his pockets, right foot forward, chewing on a piece of grass with a very casual demeanor. 

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he spoke in a laid-back tone, “Liang Baozhen, why are you walking so slowly? Aren’t you going to go back and sleep?” 

Liang Baozhen stepped forward and imitated Song Chunhua’s way of educating her second brother, with a smile on her face, “Look at yourself. If Mother saw you, she’d definitely call you a scoundrel!” 

“Hey, your brother came out to pick you up in the middle of the night, but you are so disrespectful!” Liang Baojun pulled Liang Baozhen’s braids and talked about his sister, “You’re about to get married, so try not to be too harsh on your future husband. Be careful not to make him feel annoyed.” 

***

In Beijing, Crescent Moon Alley, Xu Family 

Just after finishing dinner, Xu Shengjie felt a headache from listening to his grandmother’s mumbling. Since the marriage fell through a while ago, his grandma had been both angry and determined to find him another girl as soon as possible. 

“Shengjie, your parents passed away early, and grandma is old now. How many years can she take care of you? This is my only wish, to see you get married and have children as soon as possible.” Zhou Yun is 65 years old this year. Although wrinkles have appeared on her face, she looks very kind and gentle when she smiles. Even when she is urging her grandson to find a partner, she’s doing so without getting angry. 

Xu Shengjie, who had lived twenty-four years, indeed had little interest in romantic matters or love. His grandma criticized him the most for his poor temperament; he didn’t know how to speak softly to women at all, showing none of his father’s skills in this regard. 

“How did your father court your mother back then? He picked flowers from the roadside and sent them to her every day. He would go to your father-in-law’s house to fetch water and chop firewood whenever he had nothing to do. He had a sweet mouth. You, on the other hand, haven’t learned any of that at all.” 

“Grandma, take a breath and drink some water.” Xu Shengjie poured a bowl of water for the old lady and placed it in front of her. His brows were furrowed, but there was a rare hint of tenderness. “I’ll never learn the skills my father had in this lifetime, so you don’t need to worry about it.” 

Author’s Note: 

@Xu Shengjie, wait and see how the flag you set up gets slapped in your face.